


Cat and Mouse

by MaidenofIron157



Category: The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: M/M, courting, that's really all it is and there's not even a lot of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 10:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2618285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidenofIron157/pseuds/MaidenofIron157
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riddick had been busting his ass trying to court his First Among Commanders, and this was the thanks he gets? A fear of rejection and a chase around the Basilica? Not worth it, if you asked him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat and Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRABBLE FOR A FRIEND AND IT TURNED INTO A 1.5 K FIC SO I FIGURED I SHOULD JUST PUBLISH IT ANYWAY
> 
> so thank you for reading

Riddick was bad at this - this _courting_ thing the Necros did to get a mate. It was ridiculous and lengthy and all around more than a little difficult for someone who had never actually _given_ anyone a gift before. Hell, he'd had to ask _Toal_ what to do, for god's sake! (I mean, the man had been helpful and forthcoming, but still: _fucking embarrassing_.)

But the Necros were serious about their rituals, so he'd had to comply with them – if only because Vaako was important enough to warrant a try.

Because he was such shit at giving gifts, though, Vaako thought it was someone of relatively low status who had been giving them. Riddick knew this, because _he_ was the one Vaako would talk to about it, bouncing ideas off of him about who it could be and why they were leaving such modest presents at the door of the First Among Commanders. Apparently it was expected that when courting someone of high status, they were to be given gifts of an equally high status. Riddick’s gifts were nothing of the sort. They were small, and measly, and _simple_ , which was really what he wanted them to be. He didn’t wanna try and woo Vaako by overdoing it and making it obvious that the Lord Marshal was the one responsible, and he _certainly_ didn’t wanna get seen toting around something big and grand on his way to drop it off.

So he was stuck in a loop, because he was happy that he was the one Vaako trusted to confide in about his anonymous courting gifts (despite the fact that he already knew about it), but he was also distressed because _Vaako thought his secret admirer was some foot soldier or lowly noble_. It sucked and he hated it and he couldn’t even get out of it without outing himself, and there was no way in hell he was gonna do that until the right time came.

The right time unfortunately came before he was ready.

He’d been leaving another gift outside Vaako’s quarters, a little braided cloth bracelet that Toal’s dame had taught him to make, when the Necro in question had rounded the corner and caught him red-handed. They had both paused, motionless, frozen on the spot, staring at each another long enough that even _Riddick_ had begun to get uneasy, until he saw the gears in Vaako’s mind start to turn again as his face twisted with confusion and he opened his mouth to ask –

– something he didn’t hear, because he’d booked it out of there as fast as his legs would take him.

Richard B. Riddick didn’t _run away_ from things, but he’d made an exception this time, he supposed, as he paced in his own personal quarters after leaving Vaako in the dust, thoughts in a whirlwind about how he shouldn’t’ve ran or should’ve ran _faster_ , how he should’ve stopped while he was ahead or not bothered with this whole stupid fucking courting thing in the first place or just told Vaako it was him earlier so he wouldn’t’ve fucking found out like _this_ –

Which was when he was interrupted by a harsh pounding on his door that made him stop in his tracks.

 _Shit_.

He managed to slip into the shadows of a nearby alcove before Vaako input the passcode and nearly tripped in his haste to get inside. The Necro looked… weird. Frustrated, _angry_ , but urgent, worried almost, and Riddick stayed absolutely still as he watched him stalk around the room. “Dammit, Riddick, I know you’re in here!” He stayed silent, barely breathing, because being on the receiving end of his First Among’s rage wasn’t pleasant at the best of times, and right now, he wanted nothing to do with it. Regrettably for him, Vaako wasn’t an idiot. Instead of giving him the chance to escape by moving to another room in his frantic search, he extended it to the darkened corners he couldn’t see into because he _knew_ Riddick was there. _Fuck it_. Riddick bolted back out of the shadows, across the room, and out the door while Vaako’s back was turned, ignoring the indignant shout that resulted when Vaako realized he’d slipped past him again. By the time the Necro came barreling out of the room, Riddick was already long gone.

This went on for at least another two hours, a cat and mouse game that felt more like life-or-death to the mouse. Riddick didn’t want to see the anger, the disgust on his First’s face when he finally caught him and told him there was no way in hell he’d allow himself to be courted by the _breeder Lord Marshal_ , of all people. The mere thought kept him going, despite how close Vaako came to catching him. A dodge here, a hide there, a pushing of another Necro into Vaako as a distraction or a slip into an empty room to keep him off his tail just long enough to run in the opposite direction.

He’d been doing pretty well, until he was sprinting down one of the Basilica’s many hallways with Vaako hot on his heels, and was tripped and stumbled over his own feet for one second too long. Vaako tackled him to the ground the moment he had the upper hand, sending him crashing to the floor with the full weight of his First and his armor knocking the wind out of him. He grunted, immediately beginning to struggle the moment he returned to his senses enough to realize Vaako was hauling him to his feet with his arms clenched around his torso. He kicked and snarled and thrashed, but Vaako was not deterred – if anything, he just held on tighter while he drug him away to the nearest empty room. The last thing Riddick saw before the door shut in his face was an apologetic looking Toal, which just made him struggle harder because _dammit_ , Toal was supposed to be _helping him_ , not _tripping him to put him at Vaako’s mercy!_

Except, ‘Vaako’s mercy’ was apparently not as horrifying as first assumed, because the Necro just dropped him as soon as the door was closed, caught his arm when it swung out to punch him in the jaw, and used it to pull him forward and slam his mouth into his own. It _hurt_ , teeth clacking and biting at lips, cutting the skin and leaving blood smeared over them when Riddick started pushing back, reaching up and yanking at Vaako’s hair as Vaako returned the favor and grabbed a fistful of his collar to pull at. This kept up for a good while, until they both had to part for air and realized they’d somehow managed to move the party to the wall and were very, very close to dry-humping each other to completion. It was surprising, but what was more surprising was when Vaako scowled at Riddick in his arousal-dazed state and latched his arms around his shoulders, tugging him in and holding him there, almost cradling him there as they caught their breath. “Why didn’t you tell me it was you?”

Riddick was still as his mind gradually rebooted. “Uh… I’m not supposed to?” That’s what Toal had said – that the courter had to keep themselves anonymous until the final gift.

Vaako paused, then leant back, moving Riddick to put him an arm’s-length away. He was giving him a look, a curious one, and he seemed genuinely puzzled. “That is unnecessary if you know your intended returns your affections.”

Riddick blinked.

Vaako’s eyebrows knitted. “You _did_ know that I returned your affections, correct?”

“Do you – I – what, you think me leading you on a wild goose chase through the Basilica was _foreplay?!_ ”

Vaako gave him a look. “Yes.”

Riddick gaped at him. “I cannot _fucking believe you_ , you little –!“

Vaako leant back in to shut him up with a softer, indulgent kiss, only moving back out of his personal space when Riddick stopped vibrating with irritated energy. He looked over his face, smoothing out the angry wrinkles in his forehead with a gentle hand, until Riddick was now just glaring at him instead of being ready to punch him in the face. “Fucking asshole,” he grumbled, “Had to listen to you complain about your secret fucking admirer and how they were some stupid little foot soldier because my gifts were so shitty.”

Vaako gave him a crooked smile. “They weren’t _shitty_. They were small. Most Necromongers of high status would never even consider giving another in their ranks such simple gifts. They like to be over zealous and extravagant when courting someone.” He paused. “Although, now that I think about it, you are no Necromonger.”

Riddick snorted. “Damn straight.”

Vaako’s smile brightened, and he gave Riddick another quick peck on the lips before saying, “I like them. I still have all of them. The fact that they are from you makes them much better.” Then, he reached down and grabbed Riddick’s hand, tugging him back to the door. “And I will prove it to you the minute we return to your quarters.”

Riddick felt a surge of warmth grow in his gut and spread through him at the words, and he shot Vaako a smirk. “ _My_ quarters?”

“Yes,” Vaako deadpanned, “I have no doubt that your own bed is much larger than my own. Perfectly suitable for what I have planned.”

That made him perk up. “Well, far be it from me to keep you from your _plans_ , First Among Commanders.”


End file.
